


Arrhythmic Locomotion

by latencylive (lyricalive)



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Banter, CD Style, Established Relationship, F/F, POV Third Person, Sexual Tension, Trains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24105319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyricalive/pseuds/latencylive
Summary: Bored of dull trips on the modern trains, Renko and Merry indulge themselves with an old-fashioned steam engine ride.  However, cooped up in their private compartment, one of them seems rather preoccupied.
Relationships: Maribel Hearn/Usami Renko
Kudos: 14





	1. The Primal Scene of Japan

– "So, what do you think? Do you feel like a celebrity, Merry?"

– "Mm. I can't quite put my finger on how I feel."

**_Clunk, clunk, clunk._ **

The bulky train car rumbled on down a purposefully rickety track. Unlike the _Hiroshige_ , which traveled at high speeds on a very smooth rail, the _Toyotama_ novelty train was designed to emulate the pace and the roughness of an old-fashioned steam engine.

Much like old-style alcohol, it took a strange sort of person to enjoy this old-style transportation over the conveniences of the modern day. The two members of the Secret Sealing Club, Renko Usami and Maribel Hearn (Merry), were certainly strange people who had intentionally sought out this opportunity. However, they couldn't muster up uncritical enjoyment either.

– "It was uncomfortable at first, but now that I'm getting used to it, it's kind of pleasant."

– "I am grateful for the experience. It's a bit nostalgic somehow."

– "Isn't it funny how you can feel nostalgic for an era you never lived in?"

– "I wonder why that is."

– "But still, Merry, you seem to be on edge for some reason."

– "Do I? Maybe it's just that the views aren't quite as grand as I expected."

The two girls sat in adjacent seats made of thinly cushioned hardwood. Through the polished window, they observed the transient clouds of carbon-neutral smoke that drifted from a valve on the roof of the locomotive, present purely for aesthetic, quickly dissolving into nothing.

– "Did you know? Steam engines used to be powered by finite resources known as fossil fuels. They've long since run out, so there was no way to replicate that part of them. Good thing, too, since the emissions were really bad for the environment."

– "I suppose that means there was no way to replicate the scenery from before that damage, too."

Keeping her upper body straight and poised, Merry delivered an exaggerated sigh that barely moved her diaphragm. Renko could tell that her stiff posture was distinctly unnatural, but wasn't sure what to make of it.

– "You sure are hard to satisfy. I guess nothing could compare to the purely 'real' scenery in your dreams after all."

– "True..."

Renko rested her chin on her fist as she tilted her head at Merry.

– "Then, why don't you go to sleep?"

Merry shook her head, snapping out of her contemplative trance.

– "That's no fun! We're all the way out here together; I don't want to sleep and be alone."

– "In that case, it sounds like I need to entertain you."

The blonde girl in the window seat pressed her knees together with a mild jolt of surprise.

– "What?"

– "How about I order us some dining service?"

Renko gestured with a sleek black remote, a provided amenity of their private train compartment.

– "Can we afford that? We spent a lot of money on the tickets alone."

– "For exactly that reason, we can't cut corners now! We've got to go all out and make the best of it."

– "You're right, Renko... Maybe a few snacks would be a good distraction."

– "Distraction? From what?"

– "Huh? Nothing."

**_Clank, clank, clank._ **

Merry uncrossed her legs, and then crossed them again in the opposite direction. Renko watched her curiously as she began staring into empty space.

She had to wonder if her partner might be seeing one of her mysterious visions. No... For some reason, it seemed less as if she were looking _towards_ something, and more as if she were looking _away_ , fighting the urge to look directly at Renko herself. Too carefree to take it personally, the girl in black simply put forth the best effort to continue the conversation and see if she loosened up.


	2. Immortal Smoke

– "Hey, Merry. Why do you think they called this the _Toyotama_?"

Renko's choice of topic seemed to successfully recapture the other girl's interest.

– "Well, _Toyotama-hime_ is the name of a princess from the Dragon Palace, a place where the flow of time is very different."

– "I see. Then it probably refers to the anachronic nature of this train model."

– "What's more, this princess is said to have the power to connect the seas and the mountains."

– "Really? I've never heard that part of the legend."

– "It makes sense. The line does run between the mountains and the coast."

– "Is this the same princess from the tale of _Urashima-taro_? In that story, I seem to remember her riding on a turtle."

– "Oh, yes... In a roundabout way, maybe it also evokes something like the tortoise and the hare."

– "Right, right. Because a slow journey is better than a fast one. If that's the case, you could consider this train a rival to the _Super Inaba_. I'd like to find out if that line is still running nowadays."

Merry took a moment to stretch her legs horizontally, as far as they could reach within their compact carriage space, then set them back neatly perpendicular to the floor.

– "Speaking of slow journeys, I wonder how much time we have left on this one."

Renko peered past Merry and through the window at the deepening twilight sky.

– "So far, we've been en route for two hours and twenty-three minutes."

– "And how long until we reach the highlight of the trip?"

– "The peak of Mt. Fuji is expected to come into view around the four-hour mark."

– "That far away? My, I don't think I can hold out that long..."

– "Come now, you must know the saying that patience is a virtue."

**_Clink, clink, clink._ **

With a visibly impatient pout, Merry expressed her resentment at being scolded by Renko of all people.

– "At least, unlike most things, I can be sure that Mt. Fuji won't change by the time we get there."

– "Well, it has changed a little over time. Just like this train, that mountain also once used to blow more smoke."

– "If I could look at it through a boundary, I wonder if I might see that smoke..."

– "I do get what you mean, anyway. It's the one surely authentic thing on this route. Otherwise, even if this view is a step up from the Kaleido-screen, a lot of the plants and things outside are synthetic. But imagine how many people over the years have seen that same eternal landmark."

– "Yes..."

– "Its name can be read as 'immortal.' I think, if we were immortal too, we'd enjoy this trip even more. The longer-lived you are, the more capacity you'd have in your perspective to appreciate a slow journey. You could say we still have a long way to go, figuratively and literally."

– "..."

– "Merry?"

– "Ah, I'm sorry for spacing out again."

– "It's all right. Me rambling on is part of the entertainment package. I know how much you love the sound of my voice."

– "You're not wrong."

– "And you're sure you don't want to try to sleep? We still have plenty of road ahead of us."

– "No!"

Merry's emphatic statement was accompanied by another crossing and uncrossing of her legs. Renko finally took notice of the fact that they were trembling subtly. Was it just from the motion of the train? Her balled-up fists also clutched at the fabric of the lap of her dress in messy bunches.

– "Hm?"

– "...Besides, I can't sleep with all this rumbling."

From the way her partner avoided eye contact once again as she mumbled this, and from the steadily increasing vibration of her legs, Renko felt that she had caught on to exactly what was bothering her.

She grinned and decided to waste no time in testing her theory.


	3. Youkai Space Travel

– "You know, Merry... Your face is looking a little flushed."

– "I-Is it?"

– "Are you hot?"

– "I -"

Before she could realize what was happening, Renko suddenly drew close, resting her forehead against Merry's as if to feel her temperature. A ribbon of brown hair tickled against the other's cheek, and their wide eyes shone centimeters apart.

– "Well, I already knew the answer to that~"

– "Oh, Renko. Don't be a tease at a time like this!"

– "A time like what?"

Their breaths, falling directly upon each other, were only making them warmer.

– "I mean..."

Renko laughed and gave a shrug as she leaned back in her own seat.

– "I was just going to ask if you wanted to open up the window."

Merry appeared relieved at the suggestion.

– "That might be a good idea. It is pretty stuffy in here."

– "You reach it. You're closer."

– "All right."

She readily shifted her torso to face the rectangular pane.

– "Hang on, these windows are usually locked pretty tight. You have to stand up and put some force in it."

Overlooking her own suspicion towards the oddly specific instructions, Merry stood up and gripped the latch firmly. It was easy enough to lift, and the wind rushing through the portal invited a pleasant and steady new background noise into the environment, like another instrument to harmonize with the clacking of the tracks. She inhaled the scent of the fresh air before returning to her seat.

When she sat back down, however, she felt something underneath her that wasn't there before.

– "Eep!"

– "You were also looking a little uncomfortable. Like you could use some extra cushioning."

Renko's hand, palm-up, gave a light squeeze to the squishy thigh that had descended upon it. 

– "Renko, you can't...!"

– "I can't?"

She paused dutifully, awaiting permission. Merry immediately regretted stopping the flow of exactly what she'd been daydreaming about since the last station.

– "I... can't say I wasn't thinking about it..."

– "I thought so~"

Sliding against the slippery texture of a silky dress, the hand wandered deeper. Penetrating the next layer of delicate fabric, it massaged the fleshy curve of her rear. Merry bit her lower lip, her eyes dancing skittishly around the sepia-toned paneling of their isolated compartment.

– "Do you think someone will hear...?"

In perfect timing with her final word, a long, resonant whistle pierced the air, the shrill sound traveling through space to encompass every car on the rail instantaneously.

Under the cover of the noise, Renko's hand squeezed again, which triggered her partner's body like the pistons of a locomotive to lurch forward, close enough for a kiss. When Merry pulled away from it, her face was redder than before. Renko's was smiling with satisfaction. And the whistle was still blowing.

– "There's your answer."

The vague thrill of the atmosphere, on the border of a public and private space, fueled several more kisses, one after another. _Toyotama-hime_ would likely frown upon such impurity, but there was no one around to judge their silent sins.

Stealthily, Renko began to slide her fingers forward.

– "Ahh..."

– "Wow, Merry. I always knew you were sensitive, but..."

– "I can't take it anymore. The rhythm of this train is like... you know!"

– "It's not that bad to me."

– "I'm going crazy."

– "It's been really fun to watch."

Merry wrapped her fingers around Renko's dangling necktie and addressed her in a desperate whisper.

– "You'll help me, won't you? What was that about making the best of this experience...?"

– "Sure thing. Tell me, do you prefer a slow journey? Or -"

**_Bzzzt._**

– "Wha-?"

– "A-ah, geez. I guess I accidentally clicked the remote earlier. Sorry, Merry!"

Their steamy scene was interrupted to answer the buzzer sounding from the door of their booth. The two club members took a moment to compose themselves and send the service cart away before resuming.

Once they resumed, Merry was no longer in a hurry, remembering that the peak was worth waiting for. With an hour and nineteen minutes left to fill, her final answer was that she preferred a slow journey after all.


End file.
